LUCKNOW (Metro Rail News): The under-construction Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) has chugged ahead with the state government giving a fresh booster dose of Rs 100 crore for the ambitious project, envisaging construction of semi high-speed rail corridor that would reduce travel time between Delhi and Meerut from 2.5 hours to one hour. The corridor is scheduled to be operational by 2025.
In a September 21 communiqué sent to managing director, National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is implementing the project, principal secretary, housing and urban planning, Deepak Kumar said, the Rs 100-crore budgetary allocation would ensure quality in construction. The state government provisioned Rs 900 crore for the project in 2020-21.
The government’s fresh funds allocation comes close on heels of Asian Development Bank approving over Rs 7,000 crore, which would be disbursed in multiple tranches till May 2025. State funds and ADB aid would be used for financing civic work, building station buildings, tracks, multiple modal hubs, maintenance depots and power supply. The RRTS project, for the first time, will use state-of-the-art technology, including ETCS Level-2 signalling system — a radio-based system in which trains send data to report exact position and direction.
The tracks would be designed to sustain a speed of 180 km/hour and the rolling stock is being designed and manufactured under ‘Make in India’ initiative, at Savli, Gujarat. Kumar said NCRTC will get the no-objection certificate and environmental clearance for the project and would be responsible for meeting the deadline. NCRTC must follow the standard of financial propriety (as per budgetary manual of state government) while implementing the project, officials of urban planning department said. The department has asked NCRTC to get technical approval from the designated authority before the project is set rolling.
